Splintered Future
by blueangel994
Summary: It is the sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...but before they can go there the trio's summer is full of unexpected events some including Voldemort and some not...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hello, welcome to my seventh fan fiction. If you are not familiar with me or my fiction stories, I'd like to say a few things. I appreciate constructive criticism in the reviews and ideas are welcome, I will credit you if I use an idea you've approached me with. If I don't, please let me know because it was probably a mistake. Enjoy!

**Draco Malfoy a Gryffindor, Weaslys Slytherins?**

Hermione stared out of her second story window. Where were they? They were supposed to be in here room over twenty minutes ago.

"Harry!" she quietly whispered under her breath, unlatching her window lock and quietly opening her window. If her parents found out about this…

She didn't want to think about that. They were muggles and they wouldn't understand.

On the other hand, if she explained the situation quickly and desperately maybe they would just be ignorant about it and let her get away with it.

She heard a whooshing sound and her attention snapped back to the darkened abyss just outside of her window.

An involuntary shiver coursed through her body. What if he had been seen? Or worse yet, caught? She didn't approve of this plan; it was very dangerous and just downright reckless. But in the end even she had agreed it was the best and the only thing to do.

She slowly made her way to her bed and slipped under the covers, shivering again.

_What else is there to do Hermione? _Ron's voice rang through her head.

_Harry's aunt and uncle aren't taking any of the precautions Dumbledore gave them and he can't stay at my house because…_ at that point his voice had trailed off and his eyes had become downcast, _Well, you know…_

Hermione had bitten her nails and had tried to come up with another safer, solution. But this time she hadn't won the argument.

Hermione rolled over in her bed and pulled the covers closer to her so that she might get comfortable. But she knew comfort wouldn't come until Harry and Ron were safely in her bedroom. Even then, she was sure there still wouldn't be any comfort. Always living in this tense, fearful environment. It just wasn't for her.

Just as she was dozing off, thinking of the many things that could have happened to them, she heard two soft thuds. She couldn't imagine what could have possibly made that kind of sound, but soon realized it must have been Crookshanks jumping off of his scratching post.

She felt her eyes snap open as she realized she had left Crookshanks outside. At the same time she heard someone…something moving across the floor closer to her bed. Was it a dementor? No, the environment was too warm for that. A death eater? She felt her breath catch in her throat as a realization came to her. It couldn't be…there was no way…was it…

_Voldemort?_

Hermione screamed and pulled out her wand as she felt somebody lay a hand on her shoulder.

She wouldn't let him kill her without a fight.

She screamed again as a red-headed boy and a bespectacled boy came into focus.

"Holy crickets, Hermione! You're going to wake your parents!" whispered Ron, covering her mouth.

Hermione's heart leapt for joy as she hugged each of the boys tightly in turn.

"I was waiting up for you!" she breathlessly replied, sitting on her bed again, "And when you didn't show up I thought…maybe…maybe you'd been…you know…" she let her sentence trail as she loosened her grip on her wand.

"Come on Hermione, you know us!" replied Harry, giving her a reassuring smile, "Even if we did get caught we would've gotten out of it somehow."

Hermione slightly smiled, trying to slow her racing heart.

"Hermione?" a voice sounded in the hallway as the lights came on. She felt her eyes grow wider and quickly opened the closet doors. Ron and Harry hastened in and she quickly shut them. She was halfway to her bed when her mother opened her bedroom door.

"Is everything alright, love?" she asked, peering around the darkened room.

"I…I'm fine," she said, struggling to sound tired and scared at the same time, "I just had a horrid dream, and then I fell out of my bed. I'm sorry, mum, I didn't mean to wake you."

Mrs. Granger curiously looked at her daughter, "Are you sure that's all that happened?" she asked.

Hermione gave her a confident smile, "I'm sure mum. Now go to sleep. You and father have a long day ahead of you tomorrow."

Her mother gently closed the door and a few moments later Ron and Harry emerged from their hiding place.

Hermione fell onto her bed as the two boys joined her.

"How are we going to pull this off?" Harry urgently asked.

Hermione hesitated, then quietly said, "I don't know."

"Well, maybe Harry and I should go back to my place," Ron said.

"No!" Hermione quickly exclaimed, sitting up, "You can't go back to the Burrow. Not until we're sure Voldemort isn't controlling your family, Ron. We couldn't risk Harry being there…"

Hermione stopped at the revolted look on Ron's face.

"I didn't mean Harry! I meant me!" he yelled.

"Ron keep it down!" she quietly scolded him, "Besides," she continued, "You said, 'Harry and I'."

Harry nodded in agreement as an owl flew in through the open window.

It was a beautiful owl, a familiar owl. One she associated with…

"Is that…is that…?" said Ron.

"Malfoy's owl," Harry finished, taking the note from it and giving the innocent looking bird a suspicious look.

Hermione and Ron gathered closer to Harry so they could all read the letter.

"Harry, Ron and Hermione, I know you all must be together at one place by now given recent events. I know, I am a Malfoy, a Slytherin, but it's like I've woken from a deep sleep. I don't remember anything that went on between us, but my father told me and it sounds horrible.

My intent of this letter was to ask if I could reside with you three until the school year has started again. I am really, really desperate, please help me.

Keep in mind I fell you three are admirable people.

Sincerely, Draco Malfoy."

"It's a trick. A trick," said Ron, his voice having gone up three octaves.

Hermione wanted to believe it was a trick, and she would have normally thought exactly that. But there was something about it…the urgency that rang through it, the messy writing as if it were written at the spur of the moment.

She glanced at Harry and saw he was thinking along the same lines.

"No!" Ron choked out, quickly glancing from one of his friends to the other, then quickly stood up and shook Hermione by her shoulders.

"_Ronald_!" she said, appalled that he would do anything of the sort.

"Can't you see?" he desperately asked, "His father wants to get to Harry! He thinks we'll give into it!"

"No," Harry said, looking at the letter.

"What?" squeaked Ron, turning to Harry.

He quickly looked at Ron, "I think Malfoy really _is_ in trouble and I think we have to help him."

"What?"

"Ron, he sounds scared," started Hermione.

"Sounds scared? _Sounds_ scared? How can you know that he _sounds_ scared?"

"It's all in his writing, Ronald. It's sloppy as if he were trying to write it and send it before he got caught."

Ron stared at her for a moment.

_I really don't want to fight with him again,_ she thought.

"You want…to keep a…a Slytherin, much less Draco Malfoy…in your closet all summer? What, have you gone nutters?"

"We don't have a choice," said Harry.

"No, we don't," continued Hermione, "We can't just sit here knowing he's being hurt. What if he dies? That'll be _our_ fault!"

"Yeah," he retorted, "but it'll be our fault if Harry dies too! Quite frankly I think Malfoy deserves what he gets."

"Harry," said Hermione, turning to him and handing him the letter, "Write on the back that we'll gladly take up his offer and ask him where he is now."

"NO!" exclaimed Ron as Hermione watched Harry scribble it down, tie it to the bird's leg, and watched the bird fly away.

"Can't you see what you've done!" he exclaimed, gesturing to the now non-existent bird.

"He needed help!" Hermione begged with him. She really didn't feel like fighting with him.

"How do I know you guys aren't under the Imperius Curse now?" he asked.

"I think we've got more incentive to think that of you than vica-verca," Harry quietly cut in.

Hermione could tell he was getting impatient.

"I mean, the rest of your family is under it, so why shouldn't you be?"

"I…am…_not_!" Ron snapped.

"How do I know Voldemort isn't commanding you to say that?" asked Harry, almost yelling.

She could see it coming; Harry and Ron in another row. They couldn't afford this, not now. And besides, Harry was making a fair point that Hermione didn't want to think about much less hear.

"Okay you two!" she softly scolded, "You're going to wake my parents again with your rowing!"

Both boys looked at her.

"Now please," she said, looking from one to the other, "let's leave this until another time,"

_Or let it drop period_, she hopelessly thought.

"We've got other issues to discuss like," she began.

"Malfoy," interrupted Ron.

"Yes, exactly," she said, looking at him. But she found he wasn't looking at her. Instead he was looking at the window.

She turned to see what he was looking at and came face to face with a pale, frightened face. In fact, Draco Malfoy's face was paler than usual.

"Help me!" he whispered, grabbing her arms.

"Hey!" Ron angrily yelled, "Hands off!"

"Shhh, Ronald!" she whispered as Draco fell to the ground in a helpless lump.

"Oh great, _now_ what do we do?" Ron complained.

"Keep your voice down! My parents will hear!" she whispered, now truly afraid they had woken her parents, "Let's try to get…Draco onto my bed so he doesn't wake up sore," she said.

"Oh, so now we're on first-name terms with hi, are we?" Ron asked, stooping to pick up Draco's shoulders while Harry carried his legs.

Hermione shrugged, "If we're going to help him we might as well be," she whispered.

"How are we going to stay here all summer without your parents finding out?" Harry asked.

All three of them were silent for a moment.

If only she could put a spell on them to stay invisible no matter what, or if they had more invisibility cloaks. If only she could find someone to do either or…someone…

"Dumbledore!" she loudly exclaimed, causing Harry and Ron to shush her.

"What?" Harry whispered.

"We can get Dumbledore over here to make you three invisible."

Ron slowly smiled, "Hey! That's brilliant!"

Just then Hedwig flew in through the window with a mouse in her beak.

"Yuck, go eat that outside," said Harry.

She clicked her beak at him, very annoyed and sat just outside the window.

"We have to send him a letter tonight!" said Hermione, quickly crossing her room to her desk, opening a drawer and grabbing a pen and a piece of lined notebook paper.

"What's that?" Ron asked as he and Harry stood over her.

There was silence for a moment as Hermione began to write.

"Uh…Ron…? That's a piece of paper and a pen. You know, you write with them?" said Harry.

"No, I didn't know that. How exactly do they work?"

"It's like a roll of parchment and a quill, that's all," he said.

"Oh…"

"Done," Hermione brightly replied, "Now, do either one of you know what happened to Draco's letter? I want to staple it on for Dumbledore's reference."

"_I _don't keep track of Malfoy's things!" retorted Ron, "_Besides_, we sent it off with a reply."

Harry suddenly moved toward a sleeping Draco, "Check his pockets. He may not have had time to write a reply. And if what he says is true he wouldn't have left it lying around his house for his father to find."

"Wait a minute," said Hermione, another realization coming to her, "How did he get here so quickly?" she asked.

"Simple, he apparated," said Harry.

"Okay," she slowly said, wondering why that sounded too odd, "But how do you explain how he knew where we were?" she asked, the answer frightening her.

Harry and Ron looked at each other, shrugged, and Harry continued looking for the note.

"Found it," he whispered, handing it to Hermione who unrolled the other letter, stapled them together, rolled them back up and attached it to Hedwig's leg.

"Alright," she said, giving the snowy owl nudge, "Go find Professor Dumbledore," and the bird took off.

"Well," said Ron, sitting in Hermione's office chair in front of her computer, "I suppose we are just going to have to sit here and wait."

Hermione slightly nodded and sat on the floor next to him.

"Dyou reckon we should at least wake him up?" Harry asked, crossing his arms.

"No," said Hermione, leaning back and supporting herself with her hands, "Let him sleep. I'm sure he's had a very long day."

That wasn't the real reason she wanted to let him sleep, but it was as good as any.

She quickly tilted her head back and shook her bushy hair out of her face as silence filled the room.

Hermione watched Harry pace by the window several times, but he was staring at the ground. She also sensed a few restless movements from Ron beside her for a few minutes, but soon he sat still.

After about ten minutes Hermione began to feel a tingling sensation course through her arms and just as she sat up straight and began to rub the feeling back into her arms Ron fell off of the chair and across her lap.

Hermione sat shocked and motionless for a moment as Ron's soft snores filled the room.

"Okay," said Harry, being the first one to recover from the shocked silence, "Ummm…" he quickly walked across the room and gently roll Ron off of her and onto the floor.

"I'll go get a sleeping bag," she said, not knowing what to make of the situation.

She quickly stood up and left her room. She walked down to the end of hall where the closet was and opened the doors, thankful this wasn't the end of the hall where her parents room was.

She grabbed a yellow sleeping bag for Ron and was about to close the door when she grabbed a red one for Harry and a silver one for Draco incase he ended up on the floor too.

_Can't be too careful,_ she thought as she closed the closet doors and headed back down the hall toward her room.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Here is the second part…

Draco Malfoy consciously knew he was dreaming, but couldn't wake himself up. It was like someone was holding him back from waking up and he was struggling against him.

_Let me OUT!_ his mind screamed, although he couldn't move his body.

A cold, cruel laugh echoed through his head.

_Do you honestly think I would leave you? Let you free?_ asked the voice.

Draco's breathing remained regular, but a panic rose with in him.

_No_, his mind said. He didn't want to see those red, cat-like pupils, _no, no…_

"No!" he felt himself scream as he sat straight up.

A female voice shushed him and he felt someone gently push him back so he was lying down again.

"You're alright," the voice softly said, "Nobody here is going to hurt you."

Draco could hear himself breathing quickly now as he felt something cool lay on forehead.

"He's…he's going to get me," he managed to say.

"Shhh," said the voice again, "You're going to be alright. Just rest for now, don't say anything," she whispered.

He felt several tears escape down his face as he opened his eyes.

The girl sitting on the edge of the bed he was laying on timidly smiled at him as if she was afraid him.

As she gently dabbed his forehead he felt anger and hatred beyond belief rise up in him and he recognized her.

"Granger?" he angrily asked. He saw her stiffen and her smile fade as her eyes slowly met his.

There was uncertainty and fear in her eyes and part of him wanted to tell her he hadn't meant to say it like that, but that feeling was soon taken over by a hatred so great he thought he'd burst.

"Where am I?" he loudly demanded.

"Shhh!" she whispered, "You're going to wake my parents!"

A different kind of panic rose in him. Where was he anyway?

He looked around the dimly lit room.

Harry Potter and Ron Weasley were asleep on the floor in puffy bag-type things.

"So you're sleeping with Scar Head and Weasel now, are you?" he asked her, not bothering to keep his voice down.

"No I…" she quietly started.

"And now you're trying to seduce me!" he exclaimed, standing in front of her, "You are a little whore," he said, then walked around her and to the window.

"Where am I?" he demanded of her once again.

"At my house," she quietly answered as he opened her window.

"How did I get here?" he asked.

There was a moment of silence before he turned toward her.

"Well?" he impatiently asked.

She shrugged, "I…I don't know. You sent us a letter asking if you could stay with us and then you just…you were just…,here," she finished.

"I did not send you a letter!" he said, appalled that he'd send a mudblood a letter much less to ask if he could stay with her, "Where is it?" he asked, wanting proof.

"I sent it to Professor Dumbledore."

_"Dumbledore_?" he repeated, "Why Dumbledore? He's a…"

A feeling came over Draco that he wanted to push away, but it finally took over him.

He slowly shut the window and sat on the edge of her bed.

"I'm sorry," he quietly said, "I don't know what's wrong with me."

When he looked back up at her he saw her hesitate before carefully sitting next to him.

"Do you remember what you wrote in that letter?" she asked.

He searched his brain and he remembered writing the letter, but he couldn't remember what he'd put in it.

"No," he said, shaking his head.

"You said Voldemort had put the Imperious Curse on you, but you had broken it and your parents…you're in trouble with them and you can't stay at home."

The memory came back to him, "Right," he quietly replied, "Can I stay with you?"

"I sent Dumbledore a letter asking him to make you three invisible so my parents won't notice anything strange."

"Thanks," he said, looking at her and grateful for her help and forgiveness.

"No problem," she said. An uncomfortable silence filled the room and Draco fiddled with his fingers.

"Is he coming here?" he suddenly asked.

"I'm not sure. I'm waiting for a reply."

"Right. Okay," he said, not sure what else to say.

"If you're tired you can sleep on my bed. I can sleep in the extra sleeping bag."

"I'm not tired," he said, although he really was. In actuality he was afraid of what would happen if he slept again, "You go ahead and use it," he finished.

She smiled, "I have to wait up for Dumbledore's reply and plus I have a few essays to finish up for Grubbly-Plank, Sinestra and…and Snape," she said, her voice wavering as she said Professor Snape's name.

He looked at her for a moment, but that moment turned into a minute, and that minute into several minutes which could have easily turned into several hours. He had never noticed before how pretty Hermione really was. Sure, there were many Slytherin girls who were dying to go out with him and they were all very beautiful, but in a different way. Hermione was beautiful in an innocent way. A way that made Draco want her not because she could give him physical pleasures, but because he was sure they could make each other happy. Because he was sure that if they had a relationship it would have few, if any, problems. Where as all the Slytherin girls wanted was a physical relationship as opposed to a loving one.

Just looking at Hermione made his heart lighter and gave him a longing to have her in his arms.

A rather loud noise at the window jolted him from his thoughts. Both Draco and Hermione looked at the window where Draco's eagle owl stood.

"Oh, hey!" he said in quiet surprise as he walked over to the window, opened it and let his owl in.

As the owl stood on his arm he turned to smile at Hermione, but instead found her standing ridged with an expression of shock on her face.

He felt his smile melt and his heart pick up its beat, "What?" he whispered.

It was a moment before she blinked and started toward him.

"Oh no no no," she said, coaxing the owl onto her arm and putting it back outside.

"What'd you do that for?" he quietly demanded, outraged.

"Draco, we can't," she whispered, her eyes growing wide as she pushed it back out and shut and locked the window.

"Why not?" he asked a little louder as he stood in front of her.

"Because," she said, rolling her eyes, "Someone might be tracking your owl. If you want to stay away from your parents and Voldemort, then you have to trust me."

"Trust you?" he loudly asked, anger rising up in him again as he pinned her against the wall with his arms, "Why should I trust a mudblood? Especially you! What am I doing here anyway?" he spat into her face.

She winced and looked away from him, "Okay, what now what now?" he heard her calmly ask herself.

Her calmness made his anger worse, "Why do you have to be like that?" he yelled, slamming her against the wall.

She gasped as tears found their way down her face.

He distinctly heard a muffled, "Aloh Hammorah!" from the other side of the window and Fred and George Weasley clamored in with their broom sticks, but Draco paid no attention to them.

"Why?" he demanded again.

"I…please," she said, opening her eyes, "Let me explain!" she pleaded, looking at him.

"No!" he yelled, throwing her into Fred who wasn't expecting it and fell over. Some how in the scuffle, Hermione landed on top of Ron and Fred on top of her.

Draco realized what he'd done and started toward them to help, but he was caught by something and thrown into Hermione's bed where his head ht the wooden side.

"Don't you hurt her again!" George yelled, punching him square in the face.

"No! Don't, Fred!" he heard Hermione yell.

"I'm Fred," he heard Fred say as George took another swing at him.

"Draco!" she said, sounding exasperated, "They are under the Imperious curse just like you were. Be patient but prepared!" she yelled as Fred grabbed her and positioned her so she couldn't talk to him.

_Right_, he thought, _patient and prepared_.

George suddenly kneeled before him as they heard two voices simultaneously say, "Leave her alone!"

Draco winced thinking George would hit him again, but instead he smiled.

"So," he said, leaning closer to him as if the others weren't supposed to hear. Draco was sure they wouldn't. Harry and Ron were busy yelling at Fred to give Hermione back while Fred put some kind of charm on the bedroom door so her parents couldn't get in. Fred had his arms around her and was leaning over her in such a way that it looked as if her were protecting her from a sand storm. All the while Hermione's parents were pounding on the door demanding she open it.

"Still under the curse?" he asked.

Draco wanted to scream, "Yes!" with all his might, but answered, "No."

"Yes, well, that's what your father said you'd say. He told us to come get you."

"How'd he know I was here?" he asked, his heart jumping a beat.

"Your owl naturally. When it went home he put a tracking charm on it. Quite simple."

"Oh," said Draco, confused emotions and mixed messages filling him.

"He wants you to come home, mate. He misses you."

Draco could tell George was being sarcastic, "Tell him I don't want to see him again," he coldly told him.

George's smile faltered, then an angry expression took over, "Fine. But know where you are," he turned away, "Fred!" he yelled, "Let's go!"

"Fred immediately dropped Hermione from where he had picked her up and disappeared into the night with George.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Here's the next part…

"Are you alright?" Harry asked Hermione, heading over to her. Before he could get to her Draco had crossed the room from her bed and helped her up.

"Thanks," she muttered, then her face distorted and she leaned into him.

"What?" Harry asked, "What is it?"

"Are you alright, Hermione?" Ron asked.

"Hermione Jane Granger open your door this instant!" came her parents muffled voices from behind her door.

"What hurts?" Draco asked, gently picking her up, carrying her to her bed and setting her down.

"My side," she muttered, grabbing a tight hold of Draco's hand.

Harry thought he was going to be sick. He knew he had slept through a lot, but had he really been asleep long enough to miss Hermione and Draco hooking up?

"Stop touching him!" Ron scolded.

"Ron, he's on our side," she said through gritted teeth.

"How do you know that?" he asked.

"Ron, when have you ever _not_ trusted Hermione's judgment?" Harry asked him. Ron had started to get on Harry's nerves the past few days and Harry knew he should be patient in case Ron _was_ under the Imperius Curse, but it had started to get unbearable.

"Ron hesitated, "Never," he said a little more calmly.

"Exactly," continued Harry, "So why should you start doubting her now?"

Ron shrugged but didn't say anything.

"I think we need to get her to St. Mungo's," started Draco, but a calm voice interrupted. It was quiet, but powerful enough to quiet even Hermione's frantic parents.

"She will go," he said.

Harry turned to see a tall man with long silver hair, a long silver beard, and half-moon spectacles. He was very old-looking man wearing a wizard cloak.

"Professor Dumbledore," said Harry as Hedwig flew to his shoulder.

"Quickly," he said, taking off his hat and tapping it with his wand, "This is a port key to St. Mungo's. Don't worry about your parents, Hermione," he added, peering at her over his spectacles, "I have them under control," he then looked at the three boys in turn. His gaze quickly swept over Harry, lingered on Ron for a moment, then finally came to rest on Malfoy as he said, "I know each of you cares very much about Hermione's well-being. That is why I'm trusting you three to get her to St. Mungo's safely. I will come and get you when the time is right. The healers will find a place for you three young men to stay over night. Now," he said, walking over to Hermione's bed so they could all touch the hat. Harry silently volunteered to hold it so Dumbledore wouldn't be touching it when they traveled, "This will take you right outside the St. Mungo's hospital door.

"But, professor," Hermione said with difficulty. The pain on her face was so much that Harry winced, "How do we get in? We don't know what password to tell the manikin."

"That is precisely what I was about to tell you," Dumbledore calmly explained, "Snuffles."

"What…?" began Harry, anger flaring up in him as he glared at Dumbledore. When he wasn't pre-occupied with other things, all he had thought about was Sirius. How could Dumbledore make Sirius pen name a password? Didn't he have any heart at all?

One glance from the professor quieted Harry, "Snuffles is the password."

Harry suddenly felt a familiar sensation of something jerking somewhere around his naval and he felt himself bumping into Ron who was next to him.

Harry felt ground beneath his feet, but didn't fall this time like he had the first time he'd ever taken a port-key.

Malfoy caught Hermione just before she hit the ground and Ron gave him a nasty glare.

The three of them walked up to the run-down building that didn't look as if it could house any business at all much less a hospital.

"Uh…" started Harry, looking up at the motionless and lifeless manikin, "Snuffles?" he said with uncertainty.

The manikin gave a slight nod and Harry walked through the doors, hoping the others would do the same.

The four of them found themselves in a busy atrium.

Almost immediately a healer hurried up to them and said, "Albus said you'd be coming shortly. How's she hurt? Albus said it was her side. Well, she's got to be examined anyway. Locomta puella!" he said and Hermione floated off with the healer following closely behind.

How Professor Dumbledore knew exactly how Hermione felt was mystifying to Harry.

"Well, I reckon we'd better sit down until she's ready," said Ron, plopping down in an empty chair.

Harry looked over at Draco who was leaning against the wall and looking very worried.

Harry meandered over to him, unaware of how to approach him. The last time Draco and he had talked it wasn't pretty.

"Worried about Hermione?" Harry asked him. Draco quickly glanced at him, but then looked back to the floor and nodded.

"So um…I hope you don't mind me asking this," said Harry, crossing his arms and looking to the ground, "but uh, what…exactly…is going on between you two?"

Draco looked at him for a longer period of time and Harry was afraid he'd pushed the wrong buttons, "N…nothing why?" he asked.

Harry saw a bit of evil fill Draco's eyes, but it disappeared as quickly as it had come.

"Just curious," Harry muttered, "You guys are acting a little…oddly toward each other."

"Nothing, nothing," Draco mumbled.

"Alright, I believe you," Harry calmly said, although he didn't in the slightest bit. He'd get the truth out of Hermione soon enough.

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Draco apprehensively asked.

"Oh yeah," Harry said, nodding, "I have no doubt she'll be fine. I'm sure it's just a few broken ribs or something."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** And the next one…

"A punctured _lung_?" Hermione exclaimed.

"I don't know what you were up to, miss, but a few of your ribs broke and one of them penetrated your right lung."

Hermione sat in shock. She hadn't even felt short of breath!

"But you'll be good as new in a day or two!" the healer happily told her.

"Right, okay," said Hermione, not listening to what the healer was saying.

_I have to tell Draco,_ was her first thought.

A high-pitched cry escaped her lips and startled the healer.

"What hurts now?" he asked.

"Nothing," she said, carefully laying down and staring at the ceiling.

Why did she think of Draco first? How could she have thought of her enemy before her friends?

_Oh no what's happening to me?_ She asked herself. But before she could even finish the thought she knew the answer, _I'm crushing on Draco Malfoy!_

Hermione felt a shiver course through her body and winced at the pain as it reached her ribs. A nasty taste filled her mouth even though she had put nothing in it.

_Okay okay okay,_ she calmly thought, but felt panicked. What was she supposed to do? She was basically falling in love with Lord Voldemort.

She wasn't sure if Draco had even been under the Imperious Curse before, but certainly not now. His random evil spasms, Hermione was sure, were times when Voldemort was trying to posses him.

"Hermione?" came a familiar voice as Harry poked his heard around the door.

"Hey," she said, smiling tiredly.

"Are you alright?" he asked, sitting on the edge of her hospital bed.

"Yeah, my healer said I'd be out in a few days at the most."

He gave her a weary smile and looked down at the sheets. She recognized that expression.

"Harry?" she timidly asked, knowing something important was on his mind, "are you…okay?"

"Yeah," he said, not meeting her eyes, then suddenly said, "No."

"What's wrong?" she asked, worried about him.

He hesitated for a moment, "Is there…" he began, turning back toward her, "anything going one between you and Draco?"

Hermione's insides did a belly-flop, "Why? Did he say there was?"

Harry sighed, "No, but you guys seem like an item now."

Hermione laughed, trying to hide her fear, "An item? An _item_? Why would you think something as ridiculous as that?"

She saw his face relax and he chuckled, "I don't know, I guess I was just suspicious is all."

"What would you have done if I'd answered 'yes'?" she curiously asked.

"I don't think it's so much of what _I_ would've done," said Harry, smiling, "as what _Ron_ would've done."

Hermione giggled and said, "Yeah," as her fear of crushing on Draco ebbed away.

"Where _is_ Ron?" she asked, noticing that Harry was the only visiting her.

"Oh, he's out in the waiting room asleep. I didn't want to wake him up so Draco volunteered to stay with him."

Hermione smiled as she imagined Ron waking up and there being no one there that he knew.

Just as the image crossed her mind Draco entered the room.

He looked worried at first but as soon as he saw Hermione he smiled, "Are you feeling better?" he asked, sitting on the edge of the bed where Harry had sat before.

"Uh…yeah, loads!" she said, trying not to look at him.

_Why why oh why does he have to look so good?_ She thought, angry at herself, _And why do I have to like him?_

She was about to cry she was so frustrated with herself, but she remained smiling.

Harry looked her over and gave her a look that told her he didn't believe her. She gave him an expression that told him to keep quiet.

"That's great! When are you getting out?" he asked, flashing her a smile.

She felt as if her heart had melted, _No no no!_ she scolded herself, quickly, but discreetly, looking away from him, "I'm…not sure," she said, struggling to not look at him, "The healer that helped me said in a few days," she finished.

"Oh," he said, his face falling.

"Er…I'll be okay though," she reassured, making the mistake of looking at him. She thought her insides would fly away.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Harry fall to the ground out of sight and she gasped.

"Harry?" she asked, trying to move but she couldn't, "Harry what's wrong?" she asked, panicked.

"My scar," he moaned.

Draco hurried over to him, "Want me to get a healer?" he asked.

Hermione was frightened and even more so when she realized she couldn't do anything to help. The pain in his scars usually went away as quickly as they had gotten there.

"Is it gone?" she asked.

No response.

"Harry?"

"He's going into a seizure or something," said Draco, looking ashen-faced.

"Uh, right. Well you," she began, but he was out the door before she could say, "go get help?"

_Oh no,_ she thought.

"Relax," she told herself, "Just relax, he'll be alright."

A moment later three healers ran into the room and surrounded Harry.

"No no, I'm fine," he insisted, pushing the healers way and standing up.

"You need treatment young man…" started one of the healers.

Hermione burst out laughing, trying to save her friend from treatment he didn't know.

"Oh…I…get it!" she puffed and laughed more, tears falling from her eyes. She made them appear to be tears of laughter when really it hurt so bad she was crying anyway. She wiped them away, "Great joke…Harry!" she laughed. Her sides were burning with pain but she didn't stop the act until the healers left, then she started crying.

"Thanks, Herm," Harry said, sitting next to her and handing her a tissue.

She could only nod as she blew her nose and wiped the rest of her tears away.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Ho hum… there are two sections in this chapter because the second one is so short. Enjoy and review!

Over the next few days, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Draco all sat in Hermione's hospital room during the day, waiting for the tie to come when the healer would release her from the hospital.

Hermione was feeling loads better and would get out of bed to wander around the hospital with the three boys.

"This is all Fred's fault," Draco commented one evening while Hermione was flipping through Witch Weekly magazine.

Ron immediately took offense, "Is not!" he retorted.

Hermione put the magazine down on her bed-side table with a huff, "It's not _all_ Fred's fault, Draco, but it is partly his fault," she said, significantly looking at Ron.

"How is it his fault?" Ron angrily said at the same time Draco asked, "How is it _not_ his fault?"

Hermione hesitated for a moment and willed herself to be patient, "It's not _all_ his fault because he's under Voldemort's control…or a Death Eater's," Draco and Ron gave an involuntary shiver at the name "Voldemort," but Ron more so than Draco, "But it was partially his fault because he was the one that did it physically," she calmly explained.

Draco seemed as if he had expected that answer while Ron's ears started to blush.

"But you're right, Ron," she continued, desperate to keep him from an outburst, "It's not his fault because he doesn't have control of himself."

"Sure," mumbled Ron, looking away.

Hermione's heart dropped. She hadn't meant to offend Ron, but the facts stood clear and she wasn't about to lie to herself and three other friends by pretending one thing had happened when in actuality something else had.

_Two friends,_ Hermione corrected herself, _Draco isn't exactly a friend._

Hermione suddenly had a random impulse to look at Harry and found he was looking back at her. When their eyes locked she knew they both knew what each other was thinking.

"We'll talk about it later," she quietly said, looking away.

"What?" Draco and Ron asked at the same time.

Since Draco's arrival Hermione had wanted to talk to each of them in turn because she had something to tell them and for a brief moment she thought about talking to them now. But just as the thought crossed her mind, a healer entered her room.

"There's an old m an to see you, miss," he said.

"Uh, send him in," she said, startled by his entrance.

At that moment Professor Dumbledore walked into the room, instructing the healer to leave them and shut the door on his way out.

Dumbledore stood at the end of Hermione's bed so the four of the could see him, "We are getting a legal port-key back to miss Granger's house. But," he continued, "before we go, I must take a few moments to explain a situation to you," he folded his hands in front of himself and looked at each on of them in turn. Once again Hermione couldn't help but notice that Harry didn't get as much as a glance while each of the others received a significant look from him. This troubled her greatly.

"Hermione, I have explained to your parents the current situation and they came to an agreement with it. Harry, Ron and Draco are to stay at your house until the start of the school year. Now, as far as Mr. Malfoy's random behaviors, I have a portion mix from Professor Snape himself."

Harry and Hermione both gave an involuntary, and apparently unnoticeable to Professor Dumbledore, shiver. Hearing Snape's name was almost like hearing Voldemort's name now and it was basically the same situation. Voldemort Hated Harry and wanted to kill him before Harry could do vica-verca. Snape hated Harry and given half the chance would also kill him. But no matter how similar these two men, if you could call them that, were, there was a slight difference.

Voldemort was looking for Harry to kill him.

Snape was trying to protect Harry from Voldemort.

"It's a mixture you take every morning and every night. Make sure the times you take it are consistent," he said, his voice cutting through Hermione's thoughts like a knife through water, "This vile," he continued, handing Draco a corked beaker filled with dark purple lumpy stuff, "Should last you until the school year. Then you can get a weekly dosage from Professor Snape at the end of every week."

"Yes sir," Draco uneasily replied, looking at his potion. It wasn't exactly what Hermione would call appealing.

"You will start first thing tomorrow morning. Hermione, you are well enough to walk around now, I suggest you stand up for this."

As Hermione stood up from her bed, Dumbledore reached into his robes and extracted a broken, plastic cup.

"In two minutes you four and I will be transported into Hermione's living room where her parents and another guest will be waiting. You need not be startled by this person's presence," he said, looking from Ron, to Harry and finally Hermione.

_What in the world?_ Hermione's head reeled. He hadn't looked at Draco, which meant it would be someone he wouldn't be startled by. There was no way it could be his parents and certainly not Voldemort. Dumbledore wouldn't put Harry into danger like that.

"Who is it?" Hermione asked just as she felt her stomach jerk up and her feet leave the ground. Just as suddenly she found herself sitting on her living room floor with the others standing around her.

Draco helped her up and she found her parents, though no guests, sitting on the sofa.

"Mum, dad!" she exclaimed, hugging them.

"Metilda?" Dumbledore asked.

Hermione's mother looked at him, "He…uh…informed us that he got your owl but today just didn't work for him. He said he would try to make it tonight."

"I hope you haven't told him the news yet?"

"Oh, no," replied Hermione's father, "he doesn't know anything of the sort."

"And I hope it will remain so with Hermione as well?"

Both parents nodded and her mother said, "At least until we can get them both into the same room with you to explain."

Dumbledore gave a single nod and disappeared out the front door.

Hermione saw the revolted expression on Ron's face and suggested that they go outside.

"Yes, that would be best. Your father and I have some things to discuss," said Matilda.

Hermione led the boys through the sliding door to the back yard. There was a wooden porch with two metal, mesh tables; four chairs each and an umbrella to block the sun. Grass covered the rest of the yard, greener than Hermione had ever seen it, and a rickety wooden swing set from when she was little, weathered by the rain and snow.

They all sat down at a table, Hermione moving cautiously.

"What's wrong, Ron?" she finally asked after a few moments of uncomfortable silence.

"Huh?" he stupidly asked, looking up at her.

"Yeah, you looked a little…disgusted with Hermione's father," interjected Draco.

"Oh nothing," Ron mumbled, looking back down again.

Hermione noticed Harry studying Ron, then look at her and say, "I think it's dad looks so much like Snape that he's disgusted."

She was taken aback, "My…what? My father doesn't look like…like Snape!" she exclaimed, quickly standing up and ignoring the slight pain in her side.

Ron looked up at her and nodded, looking like he was going to be sick.

Hermione turned to Draco for support but found him nodding as well.

"I mean, his hair is greasy hair. Not quite as greasy, but similar. It's not black, though," said Harry as Hermione sat back down, her stomach churning.

"It's some kind of disability he's had since he was little. Well, not necessarily a disability but the hair soap he uses helps with the greasiness. It's supposed to dry his hair out.

"Hmmm…" Harry said, obviously lost in his own thought.

"His nose," Ron suddenly said, "Your mum and Snape have the same nose."

"No, not her mum. Ron, you're mixing her parents up," said Draco, looking at Ron, "Her dad and Snape have the same noses."

Hermione shivered when she realized they were right. There was no way they could be related.

"I think…the guest Dumbledore was talking about was supposed to be Snape," Ron said, although he didn't look too sure of himself.

"No," Draco cut across him, "It's my parents."

"What makes you think that?" Hermione asked.

"The same thing that makes Ron think the guest is Snape."

"I never said we could be on first-name terms!" Ron said, looking disgusted.

Draco looked away from Ron as Hermione said, "You think that the guest is your father because my parents and Snape have similar features?" she asked, ignoring Ron.

"No, I don't think that's why he thinks it's Snape. It's just a gut feeling."

Hermione raised her eye-brow but didn't argue any further.

"Hermione," Harry suddenly said, "exactly how old are your parents?"

"They're both fifty-eight. Why?"

"Fifty-eight?" Ron asked, wide-eyed, "That's almost how old my grand parents are!" he exclaimed.

"Yes, yes I know," she said, having been through this discussion with several of her muggle friends, "They've told me that. They decided to have me a little later in their life, that's all." She explained.

Hermione could see that Harry had some sort of idea, but she knew by the look on his face that he wasn't about to tell her.

"Okay, can we just drop this for now?" she asked as Ron began to say something else, "Talking about Snape for too long gives me the heebie-jeebies."

"Your mum was forty-two when she had you?" Draco asked.

"That's how old my mum is right now," Ron absent-mindedly said, frowning and looking down at the table.

"Yes. Every time we get into this conversation they tell me how the doctors never thought my mum had conceived because she was so old but then she went to him one day and she was pregnant with me."

"Ou," Harry softly said to no one in particular.

"Even then they didn't think either one of us would survive the pregnancy and if we did, then certainly not the labor. But we did."

Harry was looking at her as though her story didn't add up, Ron was staring at her with wide eyes, but Draco was looking at the ground, his brow furrowed.

"Uh, yeah," she said with uncertainty, "That's the story of my life," she finished brightly, then frowned, "Well, the beginning anyway."

"You were supposed to _die_?" Ron asked in awe.

"I think…I think Snape's related to you some how," Draco suddenly, but quietly said.

"Me too," said Harry, agreeing with him.

"What?" she asked, her heart picking up its pace, "How do you know?" she asked, forgetting she ever wanted to stop talking about Snape.

"I don't know," replied Draco, looking at her, "I've just got this weird gut feeling."

Draco knew much more than the other three did about Hermione. Even Hermione didn't know anything about her past. She knew what her parents had told her, yes, but that wasn't anywhere near the truth.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Ho hum de dum…

Harry had been watching Draco for the past half hour after the other two had gone in.

Draco finally looked up at him and blinked.

"Oh, I didn't realize…where'd everybody go?" he asked.

Harry continued to watch him. He seemed to know something, "Ron and Hermione both went in," he answered, then asked, "What do you know?"

Draco looked startled by the question, "Well, what do you think _you_ know?"

"I'm pretty sure Snape's related to her some how," Harry said, in truth not really sure what to think, "The similarity of features that her parents and Snape has are not features that are common in everybody."

Draco nodded in agreement.

Harry sat up a little straighter, uncomfortable from sitting in one position for the better part of an hour, "You concur with me, then?"

"Beyond a doubt I do," he said, staring at the ground, "What do you think Hermione thinks?" Draco asked.

Harry shook his head, "I don't know. She's a clever girl, but once she sets her min to believing something, she's quite stubborn about it," he said, smiling as he thought about her attitude toward S.P.E.W.

"Dyou think she doesn't think Snape is related to her at all?"

"I don't know," said Harry, noticing the vibrant colors of the sunset, "I'm not sure what she thinks. I'm not sure she knows what she thinks either."

Draco was silent.

"You ok?"

"I think she knows more than she's letting on. Like you said, she's a clever girl. Very witty."

That made sense to Harry. In their third year Hermione knew basically the whole time that their DADA professor was a werewolf and in their first year it was Hermione who had discovered Harry's father was Gryffindor's seeker.

"Geez," said Ron, coming back out onto the porch and slumping into a chair, "Hermione wants to talk to you now," said Ron, crossing his arms, slouching more in his chair and glaring at the table.

Harry chuckled, "What'd she say to you?" he asked, getting out of his chair and stretching.

"Nothing," Ron mumbled.

Harry shook his head and laughed to himself as he headed back inside. He saw Mrs. and Mr. Granger talking in low whispers on the couch.

"Er," he began, wondering whether or not he should've gone looking for Hermione instead.

They both stopped talking and looked at him, "Sorry, but where's Hermione?"

"She's up in her room, Harry," Mrs. Granger pleasantly told him.

"Thanks," he replied, heading up the carpeted stairs to Hermione's room.

He softly tapped on her door, "Hermione?" he quietly asked.

"Come in!" came a cheery voice.

"Wow," he said, confused, "Ron comes out in a huff and you're happier than a mocking bird. What'd you say to him?" Harry teased, sitting in her office chair while she sat cross-legged on her bed.

"Oh, I just talked to him about Draco," she said, then her smile faded, "But I wanted to talk to you about Ron."

Harry nodded. He had figured that much since the time she'd looked at him in the hospital room earlier that day, "Yeah, I know. Same here."

"Harry, I'm really worried about him," she said, looking as if she were going to cry.

"I know, Hermione," he said, sitting on her bed and hugging her, "Me too."

"It's so confusing about him…I'm not sure what to think. His whole family is under the Imperious Curse, so how did he escape it?" she asked.

This question had also been baffling Harry, "I don't know. Maybe he's stronger than we think he is."

"But don't you think he would've said something about fighting it off?" she asked, looking up at him.

Hermione was right. Ron was sure to take credit for something like that, brag about it and twist the story about until it was unbelievable. Like in their third year when Sirius had come into the dormitory looking for Ron's rat, but appeared to be trying to kill Ron instead.

"I don't know, Hermione. Maybe he was scared to tell anyone. Or maybe he doesn't think anybody would believe him," suggested Harry.

"Or maybe," said Hermione, pulling away from Harry and sitting up straight, "Maybe he _is_ under the Imperious Curse like the rest of his family but Voldemort's telling him to act normal!" she said, getting an excited expression on her face, "Yes! That's it!"

"Yeah, Hermione. I bet that's it," he said, encouraging her.

"We can't say anything to help Voldemort in front of him. Nothing about the Order, nothing about…about anything," she said, flipping her lights on. It had begun to get dark in her room.

She sighed, "What're we going to do?" she asked.

"Well," began Harry, "Ron is still our friend no matter what. So we have to be patient with him and do everything we can to get him to defeat this thing."

Hermione looked down-cast, "But…Harry…he's the only one that can do that."

Harry knew she'd be right if that were the case, "I know. Maybe Professor Dumbledore can do something about it."

"Maybe," Hermione distractedly said.

Neither one of them said anything for a moment, then Harry stood up to leave.

"Will you tell Draco to come up here please?" she asked, not turning toward him.

"Are you sure you'll be okay alone with him?" Harry apprehensively asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," she said in an off-handed voice.

Harry walked down the hall and trudged down the stairs into the living room where he found Mr. and Mrs. Granger, Ron and Draco.

"Uh, Hermione wants to see you, Draco," he said, and followed him to the stairs.

"Draco!" he loudly whispered, catching his arm, "Don't tell Hermione anything we said about Snape, it'll only upset her," he whispered so the others wouldn't hear.

"Right," said Draco, nodding.

Harry went back into the living room and took Draco's spot, "So, uh…" began Harry, breaking the uncomfortable silence, "You guys weren't expecting Hermione to get a letter of acceptance to Hogwarts?" asked Harry.

"Oh no! Not at all!" Mrs. Granger exclaimed a little too loudly, looking grateful for conversation.

"We knew about the wizarding world, of course, because of…" at that moment Mr. Granger stopped mid-sentence and looked to his wife for help.

"Because of certain circumstances," she finished for him.

"Oh, right," said Harry as a knock sounded at the front door.

Harry was surprised to see Ron go stiff in his seat as if he knew who to expect and he didn't like it at all.

Ron slowly looked at Harry and he saw him turn several shades of green as if he'd been cursed with slugs again. He slowly opened his mouth to say something, but only a squeak came out.

Harry quickly shook his head as Mr. and Mrs. Granger entered back into the room with another man.

_When did they leave?_ Harry asked himself, not remembering them leaving the living room.

Harry and Ron both bolted out of their chairs as a greasy-haired, hook-nosed professor took a place across from them.

"Snape," Harry said a bit louder than he had intended to.

Professor Snape's eyes snapped to his, "That is 'Professor Snape' to you, Potter," he said with a hint of threat in his voice.

"Uh, Hermione's up in her room with…" Mrs. Granger nervously started.

Harry interrupted her, "a friend. She's with a friend."

"Mr. Potter I suggest you respect your elders by _not_ interrupting them. But then again you are so much like your father it's a surprise you have any respect at all during those very rare moments you actually are," said Snape, ending is sentence quietly with a sharp 'T' in 'Actally'.

"I'm not at school, you can't tell me what to do here," he said, then marched upstairs, anger burning his insides.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** sorry this one is so short, but unfortunately it's the last chapter I have finished and my fiancée has my computer at the moment, so it'll be a while. Please please _please_ review! And enjoy.

Ron sat motionless watching Snape, with a smirk on his face, watch Harry stomp up the stairs.

"Well, I'm sure Hermione will be happy to meet you," said Mr. Granger.

_These people have not clue,_ Ron thought.

"Oh yes, just delighted," Snape said, his voice absolutely dripping with sarcasm.

Ron met his eyes, then quickly looked away, frightened by them.

What was he doing down here anyway? Why wasn't he upstairs with Hermione, Harry and…

_Malfoy_, Ron glumly thought.

Ron wasn't sure who he'd rather be with at the moment. Snape, who had a growing hate toward him and his friends or Malfoy who used to be the same but supposedly broke free of a stupid curse and is actually nice now?

"I'll go get Hermione," Ron quickly made up his mind and headed for the stairs.

Before he went up he stopped at the bottom stair and turned toward Snape, "Professor?" Ron politely asked.

"What is it, Weasley?" Snape coldly asked back.

Ron had been wanting to ask someone this question since before last school year ended. Someone who would know the answer.

"Who's the new defense against the dark arts teacher?" he asked.

Snape's lip curled, "Such questions are no business of yours, Weasley," he said, his eyes flashing. Ron basically tripped up the stairs trying to get to Hermione's room, away from Snape.


End file.
